Los Angeles Premiere Of Netflix — Cecile Landi attends the Los Angeles premiere of Netflix's "Simone Biles Rising: Part 2" at The Egyptian Theatre Hollywood on October 23, 2024, in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Robin L Marshall/Getty Images)

"I feel like it's really unnecessary" - Simone Biles' former coach Cecile Landi gives opinion on NIL program for NCAA athletes

Modified Dec 20, 2024 05:57 GMT

Simone Biles' former coach Cecile Landi has shared her views on the NIL program for collegiate athletes. Having coached multiple elite athletes, Landi stepped in as co-head coach of the University of Georgia’s gymnastics team alongside coach Ryan Roberts in April 2024.

Standing for Name, Image, and Likeness, NIL allows college athletes to profit from their personal brand while still in college, including endorsement deals, social media promotions, and autograph signings. Landi opined on the NIL system and its impact on athletes during the podcast Flipping Out with Bridget Sloan:

"Like social media is a blessing and a curse, things can happen for athletes but when an added pressure, I feel like it's really unnecessary but that's part of it. You know you still need to enjoy college life. You're still young. You have many many many years of worrying about money and building your lives. So just enjoy that.

But yes sometimes it can be a lot of pressure on the athletes, especially you know the best ones. It's great but at the same time they are still struggling with themselves, you know they are still building and growing." [22:30]

After coaching at the World Olympic Gymnastics Academy for around 10 years, Landi became a coaching staff member at the World Champions Centre in 2017. She played an instrumental role in shaping the success of the American women's gymnastics squad at the 2016 Rio, 2020 Tokyo, and 2024 Paris Games.

Cecile Landi flaunts her Olympic rings from three editions of the quadrennial Games

Simone Biles (R) with coach Cecile Landi during the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. (Photo via Getty Images)

Cecile Landi has showcased her Olympic rings from the 2024 Paris Games on her Instagram story. She shared a picture of her collection from three editions of the Games - 2016 Rio, 2020 Tokyo, and 2024 Paris Olympics.

"Paris arrived," she wrote.

Screengrab of Cecile Landi's Instagram story (@cecilelandi)

Landi was a key figure in driving the success of the American women's gymnastics team, helping it secure a gold medal at the 2016 Rio Games, silver at the 2020 Tokyo Games, and another gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Games in the women's team event. She guided the American team with her husband Laurent Landi.